The gym’s 3 most underrated exercises, according to Personal Trainers

GQ

November 2, 2018

Three exercises that might bring your fitness routine—and body—to the next level.

The good thing about exercise is that there are, literally, an infinite number of exercises you can do. The bad thing about exercise is that there are, literally, an infinite number of exercises you can do. Yes, there is “something for everyone”—great!—but just when you’ve got the meat and potatoes mastered, along comes the most innovative and fat-blasting workout you’ve never heard of, which leaves you thinking: Sure, I’ve do pull-ups…but am I doing enough goat yoga? (Hint: If you’re doing no goat yoga, you’re doing enough goat yoga.)

A healthy body is a confused body, with muscles taxed in different ways by a variety of unique movements. But since it’s hard to know where to find new ones, we did the research for you, tracking down three personal trainers for their advice on which exercises could use a little more love (and, in return, will shower your muscles with love, albeit in the forms of pain and soreness).

“There are many variations of the squat, but doing a quality front squat has tremendous strength, core, and flexibility benefits unmatched by almost all lifts,” says Booker. The front squat is like a—surprise!—squat, but with the weight on a barbell resting on the front of your shoulders, instead of on the upper part of your back. It’s a bit of an awkward look, which is why Booker thinks most people avoid it. “People try it once, and if it feels wrong or doesn’t look right, they quit.”

If you don’t quit, though, you’ll see increased hip flexibility, leg strength, and core stability, all of which are important if you have a body and/or sometimes want to move it. “It’s worth spending a year, if that’s what it takes, to perfect it,” says Booker. Just maybe mix in some cardio during that time, too.

Everyone wants abs, right? Right. But Okafor presents a pretty good case for why so many people avoid working them out. “It’s painful. It’s boring. And if you’re not lean, you don’t see the benefits,” says the two-time Golden Gloves boxing champ. “So of course you’re like, ‘Fuck this.'”

Unfortunately, even if you can’t see your abs, you need them: “Every time you get out of bed, you’re doing a sit-up,” he points out. Plus, a strong core protects your back every time you bend over or squat to pick something up, acting like a built-in support belt. In other words: Do the painful, boring work anyway.

More specifically, do the work of a side plank dip. Assume the position of a side plank and, keeping your body perfectly straight, lower it down towards the ground and then back up. But don’t just break at the hip—use the tension in the obliques closest to the floor to move your body north and south, keeping your abs tight the entire time. When starting out, shoot for 3 sets of 15 reps on each side. Do your side plank on your forearm instead of on an open palm, which can put too much strain on your shoulder. If it’s too difficult, stagger your feet, one in front of the other, instead of stacking them,

Dewar’s suggestion is probably the most complex of these offerings, but it might also entail the most benefits, combining knee and hip extensions with a squat, a deadlift, and an overhead press into one package. “The level of mobility that you need, the flexibility that you need, the rhythm and timing and awareness of your body, the coordination—I just think it’s a very athletic move,” he says.

Of course, because of all of those factors, it’s something most people avoid. If you haven’t been to the gym in a while and it’s your first day back, he says, “I’m probably not going to sit here and take 20 minutes to learn how to do a clean and press when I can just do air squats.” But, like the front squat, if you invest the time to learn it—preferably from a trainer who knows the mechanics and can account for any individual injuries you may have—it provides plenty of opportunities for growth.

Also, check your insecurities at the door, he says: The clean and press is for everyone, and doing it has value no matter how much or how little weight you can lift at first. One group of clients to which Dewar often teaches it is parents-to-be. “I’m like, ‘You’re basically going be doing this move with your baby for the next three years!'” he says. No time like the present.